Piastri to grow Aussie cricket connection

Oscar Piastri will strengthen his ties to the Australian cricket team over the next fortnight as their respective seasons intensify.

In the space of three years, F1 championship leader Piastri has grown to become one of the biggest profiles in Australian sport and he has enjoyed rubbing shoulders with similar personalities from other disciplines, especially cricket.

As reported by Daniel Brettig in The Age newspaper, the men’s Test team led by Pat Cummins will enjoy a guided tour of McLaren’s famous and pristine Technology Centre.

It will take place between the upcoming Spanish Grand Prix and the Canadian Grand Prix a fortnight later.

The McLaren driver has not been afraid to share his deep passion from cricket from posing in a photo with Ricky Ponting in 2009 to beating Lando Norris in a Sky Sports game that featured Damon Hill, Mark Butcher and Tammy Beaumont.

But most significantly Piastri has personally met and shared insights with the Australian men’s Test side on numerous occasions.

The first meeting saw then rookie Piastri enjoy a net session against Nathan Lyon and Mitch Starc in the lead up to the infamous Lord’s 2023 Ashes Test.

The F1 driver also enjoyed an in-depth view of the Australian on home soil during the 2024 Boxing Day Test against India at the Melbourne Cricket Ground over his off-season.

Even during the 2023 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, Piastri proudly walked through the F1 paddock wearing Brett Lee’s 2003 Cricket World Cup shirt after Australia repeated the success against India at Ahmedabad.

Piastri has also returned the favour with numerous Australian players touring the McLaren garage at the Australian Grand Prix since his debut in 2023.

Now with the Australian side returning to England for next month’s World Test Championship Final at Lord’s, the relationship will grow stronger.

The Australian team’s visit at MTC will take place within days of the WTC Final against South Africa, which will be held on the same weekend as the Canadian Grand Prix where Piastri will aim to rebuild his F1 World Championship lead over teammate Lando Norris which sits at just three points.

But Australian men’s coach Andrew McDonald has stated the excursion is about a lot more than simply sightseeing.

McDonald told SEN’s Gerard Whately that both the cricketers and Piastri hope to benefit from the experience by sharing insights from their experiences from their respective high-pressure environments.

“There is an opportunity there,” he said.

“Oscar has been great. He comes to most games we play and will be on the ground over there.

“There is an opportunity there to link in with McLaren and a few of their team members and staff as well to share ideas.

“It is a great opportunity for players and staff to immerse in a high performing environment.

“They are going well at the moment and it will be interesting to see how that championship unfolds.”

As Australia ramp up preparations to defend their mantle as the #1 Test team in the world, Piastri will be busy racing around Catalunya this weekend and hoping to become the first Aussie to win there since Mark Webber in 2010.

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